Soldering cup



R. L. BRUCE- Oct. 20, 1931.

SOLDERING CUP Filed Nov. 2, 1929 Euren@ i erf/zzoe www patented Oct. 20, 1931l UNITEDf-STATES, PAIENTLOFFICF RQBERT vLimusa,- or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR roWIIIrE BRAss CASTINGS CoM` v PANY,A conroRATIoNvoaILLINOIS Y soLnERINGcn-P i` i Y, .l

Appiicatign mea Npvember `21e29.ffse1ia1no. 404,258.

`This invention relates 'tosoldering ladles and has for its 'principal object the production of a new and improved solderingladle.

Soldering ladles comprising acup pivoted w to a U-shaped bracket which, in'turn, is supported on the lend of a handle, have long been employed vby electricians to solder twisted ends ofiwi'res where the twist is made in av manner whichperinits it being dipped 10;V into a cup of molten solder. In vthe ladles used for this purposeheretofore, the cup con-V taining the molten solderhas been pivoted to the U-shaped bracket orstirrnp, andthe stirruphas been rigidly attachedj to the han- 1li#` dle of the ladle. This construction permits the cup to 'swing in the stirrup to facilitate maintaining it uprightas the ladle is moved to bring the solder into that isV to be soldered. e

However', in `a construction of this kind, when the cupisbeing advanced 'to a rather contact with the work inaccessible place, it frequently happens that, 'due to a twisting motion of the operatorsf4 hand as the ladle is advanced, the cup will 125,; be tipped over sidewise and the moltenjsolder spilled from it. This spilling of the solder not only'delays the work, but frequently the solder sospilled yfalls onV the operator, with the result that; he is seriously burned 130thereby;"`ff"` f `In my present inventionI uhave provided a new and improved soldering ladle of this general type, one in which, in addition to supporting the cup rotatably inthe stirrup,

3511` haveV supported the stirrup rotatably onthe handle so that, in effect, I have produced a universal joint which permits the cup of molten soldertobe maintained upright while the ladle handle is being Velevated and rotated 405i asmay be necessary to reach the work. This construction speeds up-the work to Abe done by the soldering ladle, since the operator can advance it rapidlyto any position with the full assurance that the' cupi containing the and have, therefore, provideda stirrup which 50i registers withthe cupv in such a manner that tion Vof the )handle facilitates safe handling ofAA it, andwith the addition ofahard grip Vpre ferably made metal capab-lepf withstanding the direct the are of'rotation of the cup around its pinf` ofthe workmanwhenhe is using the' tool;` The 'cup is.

e pivotally supported in its stiri rup and the handle, so that 'there are a pluralityof breaks in the path that the heat must travel to'reach the sleeve adj aeent the handle of the tool.` I

st irrup is in turn pivoted to the f l. i.

have found'in practice that when the solder 4the cupis heated to the right,temperaturev forsoldeiing, the upper part ofthe metallic handleis cool enough to be handled without burning the workman. v Evenif the solder;v and cup containing it are overheated to recl-l ness, the upper part of the handle is not `hot enough to burn the workman and cause him" to drop the tool, although it is too warmte be handled comfortably. This heat insul'aof insulating materialmakes the toolsafe and convenienti n i j Now, to acquaint'those skilled in the artf with the teachings of my invention, reference is made'k to theaccompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of it is" shown by way of example, and in which l Figure l is an elevational view4 of my improved ladle; and; Y i v Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ladle taken along the line 2-2 ofFigure 1. The ladle-comprises the solder cup 1, `which is preferably formed as afrustum of a right conel so` thatl its bottom portion is somewhat 45fmolten solder will remain upright and the larger than theupper portion. cup is of Y cast iron, although other flameofa blowtorch may `be, substituted 4as desire'd. It customary ina ladle'of this type to make the cup with a capacity of approximately one cubic inch, although the size of the cup may be varied to meet specific requirements within the teachings of my invention.

The cup 1 is provided with pintles 2 and 3 which are forced into opening into openings near its upper edge and which register with openings inthe ends of a U"shapedV stirrup 4, the pintles serving to support the cup in tha stirrup.y 4

The stirrup 4 is preferably made; of` steel of rectangular cross section, although other material and cross section shape may beemployed as desired. In the preferred embodiment of my invention-1, the open end' of: the U stirrup closely embraces the outside of the cup, at its smaller upper portion,l and, as the cup is rotated about its pintles 2 and 3, its larger lower portion strikes against the U stirrup to limit the rotation ofthe cup. 0bviously,l if desiredthe stirrup may be shaped insuch a manner that thel cup isfree to rotate through a full circle, although I have found it advantageous to limit this rotation.

In the closed end of the Ushape stirrup, I have provided' anopening through which the rod' tightl'y fits, the projecting endl of that rodbeing riveted as at 6A to rigidly attach it to the stirrup. Thislrod 5 is disposed within ahollow tube7, the diameter of the rod registering with the opening in the tube in such a manner as topermit its freerotation Within the tube 7.'

The rodV 5, projects somewhat beyond the end" ofjthel tube7 and the washer Y8I is fitted around the rodf and against the end of the tube. The end, ofV theV rod 5 projecting through .theA Washer is riveted over to forni lthe head. 9,` which prevents removal j ofr the rod from the tube and, at the same time, permits its freek rotation in the tube.

'Ighe handle 10 is provided with a `cylindri-` cal' opening 1l into which the tube 7 ispro.- j ectedthi's tube preferably fitting in the handle witha driving fit which rigidly 'holds the tube therein. The metallic Vcollar 12 surrounds: theV end: ofl the, handlenout of which theftubing 7 projects to prevent; splintering oftthe. handle 10- at this` point;l In the preferredembodiment of my invention, the han. dle l0 is constructed of wood, althoughgiiber orma phenol. condensation product may be substituted within the teachings of my invention.

Thesoldering ladle soconstructed can bemovedtoany position with the full assurance that,V the cupV l will always remain in an upright position. The cup pivots about its pintles 2v and .grinV the stirrup-4, andthe stirrup pivots about thejaxis ofthe rod` 5, that'axis being disposed substantially at, right anglesl tothe axis ofthe pintles 2 and 8. The combinedf,rotation` about these two axes. insures that the cup l will remain in an upright position at all times.

The provision of tightly riveting the rod 5 into the stirrup 4 and projecting the rod through the tube 7 insures that a rigid connection will be maintained between the rod and the stirrup, so that, although thestirrup is free to rotate about the rod, it does not wabble with respect thereto and the ladle is thereby. made rigid without sacrificing its flexibility in any way. However, if it is desired to do so, the stirrup 4 may be fitted onto a shoulder disposed at the end of a solid rod which replaces the tubing 7 and the rod 5 and' fastened thereon by riveting or in any rior to the type illustrated;

lVhen thevscup 1 is heated, the Haines will also heat the stirrup 4 somewhat. Since the rod 5 is in good thermal contact, with the stirrup, it likewise will be heated by conduction. The sleeve7 however is in poor thermalY contact with both the stirrup 4 andthe rod 5, and. as since heat must be radiated, from the stirrup and rod tothe sleeve, the sleeve does not get hot enough to burn the operator in the normal operation of the tool. Even if the cup l is heated red hot, the sleeve 7 adj acent the grip l() will scarcely be hot enough to burn the hand of the workman.

Since the sleeve 7 does not get very hot, l am able to employ a wooden grip 10 Without danger of burning the surface that engages the sleeve. The grip remains li'rmly seated on the sleeve and the danger ofthe handle coming olf the tool. isthereby eliminated.

lVhile I have chosen to show` a preferredY embodiment ofmy invention, I havedone so by way of example only,as there are many' modifications-and adaptations whichy can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the teachings of the invention.

Having thus complied with thestatutes and shown and described a, preferred` embodiment of my invention, what Iv considerY tation of, saidcup, aA handlevfor saidv 1ad1e,vand

les

lili

means for rotatably on said handle. 3. A soldering ladle comprising 1n combisupporting said stirrup nation, a Wooden handle, a. hollow metallic tube projecting therefrom, a rod disposed Within said tube and proj ecting froml the ends thereof, a head on said rod embracing the end of said tube Within said handle, a U-shaped stirrup attached to said rod and embracing the free end of said tube, and a cup supported on pintles projected through the ends of said U-stirrup. Y

4. A soldering ladle comprising in combination, a Wooden handle, a hollow metallic tube projecting therefrom, a rod disposed Within said tube and projecting from the ends thereof, a U-shaped stirrup having a centrally located hole through Which theend of saidV rod that projects from the free end of said tube is extended and its end riveted over to rigidly attach the stirrup to the rod, a Washer surrounding the other projecting end of said rod, a head on the rod butting against saidl Washer to hold the rod in the tube, and a cup supported in the open end of said stirrupby pintles extending through openings in the stirrup.

5. A soldering ladle comprising a metallic tube rigidly` attached to and projecting from a heat insulating handle, a U-shaped stirrup attached to said metallic tube and free to rotate about the axis of it but definitely held against movement longitudinally of that axis, and a cup pivotally mounted in the open ends of said stirrup.

6. In a soldering ladle, the combination of a solder cup supported pivotally in a stirrup, a handle having a heat insulated grip, and means for rotatably attaching the stirrup to the handle.

7. A soldering ladle comprising a hollow metallic handle rigidly attached to and projecting from a non-metallic handle, a U- shaped stirrup, a rod connected thereto and in good thermal Contact therewith, said rod projecting through said handle to attach the stirrup thereto in poor thermal contact therewith, and a cup pivotally supported in said stirrup.

In Witness whereof, Il hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of October, 1929.

Y R. L.' BRUCE. 

